List of recent ‘nuisance house’ violations in Amherst

AMHERST — From January 2012 to March 31 of this year, the Amherst Police Department issued 63 nuisance house violations at 50 residences.

The nuisance house bylaw was created in 2008 in an attempt to impose liability on homeowners and tenants for “unruly gatherings” and to stem the consumption of alcohol by underage people, according to the bylaw’s text.

If police are called to a house more than twice in a year to deal with an out-of-control party or other disruptive behavior, those responsible can be fined $300. Police could also readily use the nuisance house bylaw — even on the first response to a home — if there is evidence of underage drinking.

The number of nuisance house violation citations issued by police has steadily increased since the bylaw went into effect. In 2009, 27 violations were issued.

In the past 15 months, most of the violations were issued in the downtown and North Amherst areas. North Pleasant Street topped the list with eight.

Other streets that had a high concentration of nuisance house violations were Belchertown Road, College Street, Hobart Lane, Phillips Street and Sunset Avenue, each of which had three or four.

Of the homes where citations were issued, 41 were not owner-occupied, while six were owner-occupied. Residency could not be determined for three of them.

There were four landlords who own more than one property received citations. Jamie Cherewatti, Stephan Gharabegian, Gerald Jones and Agnes and James Ting Trustees each own three properties that received nuisance house citations. Peter Grandonico has two properties that violated the bylaw.

AMHERST — Midnight screams, public urination and students harassing passers-by with a megaphone are some of the everyday aggravations homeowners around Lincoln Avenue and Fearing Street endure. And a growing number have had enough. Year-round residents living near the University of Massachusetts Amherst are forming coalitions, pushing for rental and zoning bylaws and, in some cases, packing up and moving …